Alex Rodriguez Makes Spring Training Debut: Key Takeaways from Yankee’s at-Bats
March 4, 2015 · Daniel Rogers · Jump to comments
Article Source: Bleacher Report - New York Yankees
Love him or hate him, Yankees infielder Alex Rodriguez is back in spring training, per Paul White of USA Today Sports, and he’s looking to defeat expectations and make an impact on an aging roster in New York.
When the Yankees took on Philadelphia in an exhibition game earlier in the day, Rodriguez took his first at-bat in nearly two years against Kevin Slowey.
Though he fell behind 0-2 on his first at-bat, the 39-year-old would find his swing on the third pitch, singling into left field. It was followed by a moment many thought we might not ever witness again: with a number of fans cheering as a result of something Rodriguez did.
His second at-bat didn’t go quite as well, grounding into a fielder’s choice, but his third time around he drew a walk and was eventually replaced by a pinch runner, ending his debut.
With a number of the Yankees seeming a bit long in the tooth at this point in their careers, it feels like 2015 could be another down season for the storied franchise. But with A-Rod’s official return, here are some key takeaways from his first play in more than 500 days.
The power isn’t going to be what it used to be
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that any power A-Rod had remaining before he was suspended will be significantly diminished this time around.
This isn’t to say he was using drugs up to the day he was suspended and the lack of PEDs will diminish his power, but more just to point out that he was already past the prime of his career when the suspension came down. He is even older now.
Rodriguez is long past his best, and he had seen his home run numbers stay the same or decrease compared to the year before every season since his 54-homer outing in 2007.
In his most recent season, Rodriguez only played 44 games, hit .244—the lowest number since 1995—and knocked out seven home runs and 19 RBI. He also hasn’t played an entire season since 2005, and that doesn’t look to be changing anytime soon.
Once considered one of the games best hitters, this season is likely going to be his low point as a power hitter, and it’s coming right when the Yankees need him to step up the most.
Some of the fans are excited to see him back
There once was a time when A-Rod stood above the depths that the league had fallen to because of PED usage. He was thought of as a shining beacon of a player who had success in the era despite not using drugs.
And then it was discovered he had used drugs.
Which is perhaps why his fall from grace was so hard to stomach. Once one of the more beloved players by young fans, Rodriguez has now fallen to depths of villainy not seen in MLB in quite some time.
So when there were cheers for Rodriguez as he made his return to the diamond Wednesday, it was considered a relative surprise. The amount of hate thrown his way since the suspension has been immeasurable, but it seems that not everybody is so down on the once-great hitter.
If the fan support is there in New York, we could very well see a different type of return than originally predicted. The numbers won’t be as great as they once were, but a possible redemption story is far more interesting than a continued fall from grace.
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